Saturday, January 31, 2015

Source: Advanced Reader Copy ebook from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man's worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king. When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king's sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine's ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic.

Then his clan begins a campaign to eliminate all Balians from the isle of Seare, putting his newfound home in peril and entangling him in a plot for control of the island that has been unfolding since long before his birth. Only by committing himself to an ancient warrior brotherhood can Conor discover the part he's meant to play in Seare's future. But is he willing to sacrifice everything--even the woman he loves--to follow the path his God has laid before him?

My Review:Oath of the Brotherhood is a Christian fantasy novel. It's the first in a series. It doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but it does end with the main goal (to get the harp) still not accomplished so it felt more serial than stand-alone.

The story wasn't bogged down in world-building detail yet the author still created an interesting culture and overarching conflict. I liked the characters, and I liked that the characters were willing to sacrifice to help others. That's what drew me to heroic fantasy when I was young.

The beginning was intriguing and the ending was exciting, but the middle lacked suspense. Conor received the training that he needed, but this training was largely described in highlight events as the years pass. There wasn't much ongoing conflict during that time, just learning new skills and momentary obstacles. If a problem came up, someone promptly made a noble sacrifice to remove that obstacle for Conor. Still, the story was an enjoyable read.

The Christian allegory was done well, both in not feeling forced into the story and in sound teachings (about trusting God). The Christian values were pretty obvious even though God and Jesus are given different names, but I think the audience is Christians who like heroic fantasy novels. There is magic (like help knowing what needs healing and wards of protection), and it's explained as a gift given by God.

There was no sex or bad language. I'd recommend this novel to Christians who enjoy heroic fantasy.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Tired of running from her past, nurse Kate Callison intends to become Austin Grace Hospital's permanent ER director and make Texas her home. Despite staff friction, she's moving ahead. Then the death of an abandoned baby wraps the ER in crime tape.

Kate discovers that she enjoys Wes' company, and she wonders if her heart might have finally found a home. Then an unsolved missing persons case--and a startling new one--become catalysts that threaten the loss of all she and Wes have found.

My Review:Rescue Team is a Christian romantic suspense novel. While this book can be read as a stand-alone novel, Kate is a main character in the previous book in this series. You can understand what's going on without reading Trauma Plan, but there are some references to things that happened to Kate in that book.

All of the character were complex and acted in realistic ways. I had a hard time liking Kate at the beginning, so I also had a hard time understanding why Wes was interested in her. If he was trying to "rescue" her, I'd understand it, but that doesn't seem to be his motivation. But once Kate relaxed a bit around Wes, I could understand their attraction.

Kate abandoned her baby as a teenager, which she felt was unforgivable. The Christian element was her coming to understand that God could forgive her and use her to help others in a similar situation. Wes was abandoned in the woods by his mother when he was young, so he struggled with why his mother--or any mother--would ever abandon her child.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Baghdad is holding a secret superpower summit, but the word is out, and an underground organization in the Middle East is plotting to sabotage the talks.

Into this explosive situation appears Victoria Jones, a young woman with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded spy dies in her hotel room. Can Victoria make sense of his dying words: Lucifer…Basrah…Lefarge.…

My Review:They Came to Baghdad is a historical thriller set in 1951 in England, Baghdad, and some surrounding areas. It was written as a contemporary novel, and the setting and political backdrop was only described briefly. The descriptions were more about the human interactions than describing the places for future readers.

The story is about an impulsive young woman whose main skills are thinking on her feet and lying convincingly. She finds a way to follow her "Romeo" to Baghdad only to land in the middle of a struggle between a group trying to destroy upcoming peace-promoting talks and government spies trying to stop them. Only it's not always clear who is on which side. It's a bit improbable in some ways, but it was fun watching clever Victoria just managing to get out of one scrape after another while figuring out what the dying spy meant.

There was a minor amount of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this fun novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Florist Audrey Bloom, co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, creates fragrant bouquets for brides. Her dazzling creations are picked to be featured on a wedding reality show. The hot series is filming an episode about a bride who’s bonkers for bells, and Audrey’s bouquets of campanulas, calla lilies, and Bells-of-Ireland are perfect for the bridal theme.

But Audrey’s ex-boyfriend, Brad, is a crew member on the show and still likes her, which threatens her blossoming relationship with Nick the baker. To make matters worse, when one of the show’s hosts is found dead in the bell tower of a historic church, all the evidence points toward Brad.

My Review:For Whom the Bluebell Tolls is a cozy mystery. It's the second book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this story didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous books.

The mystery was a clue-based puzzle mystery. About halfway through, all the clues fell into place for me with a very satisfying snap, and I knew whodunit. I couldn't guess the full motive until much nearer to the end. I don't think most readers will realize whodunit until later, and the writing was good enough to keep me fully engaged in the story even knowing whodunit. I liked that Audrey realized she wasn't critical to the police investigation (though she sure helped!), that the police weren't fools, and that Audrey has learned from the past and is careful when investigating murderers.

There was no bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this engaging mystery.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

As a member of Amazon Vine, I'm able to review books through them, but--as I understand the terms--I'm only allowed to post my review on Amazon. Because I liked this book, I'm posting a description of the book here with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Taryn McKenna believes she’s easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middle-schoolers she teaches.

Then her boyfriend returns to the area and wants to apologize for his harsh, parting words to her from years ago. When Taryn’s grandmother Jemma has a heart attack, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project—an Irish chain quilt that is a wedding present for a relative. With her old boyfriend's help, the pieces of the quilt come together and she starts to love him all over again. But past bad decisions may stand in the way as she doubts even God can forgive the lies she's told.

About Me

My name is Debbie. I'm a single female in my thirties. I have three book review blogs: one for well-written, clean fiction; one for nonfiction (memoirs, history, military, religion, and social issues); and a book club for Christian nonfiction.

My other review blogs

Why this blog?

I like to read, but it can be hard to find clean mainstream fiction anymore. Hopefully this blog will help others who have similar reading tastes to find clean novels to read.

In my reviews, I try to point out elements that I think readers may wish to know which might influence their decision to read a book. I'm not trying to convince people not to read a book as I'm fully aware that some things which bother me won't bother others at all. So if a book sounds fun to you, certainly give it a try!

Disclosure StatementI'm not paid to review books. I do receive free review copies from publishers, authors, etc., but I also review books I've bought or checked out of the library. I review all books by the same standard, no matter the source. My readers are assuming I am, and the publishers expect it.